page_title: Quota International
section_title: International influence
hierarchical_section_title: Quota International / History / Early years / International influence
caption_attribution_description: English: Wanda Frey Joiner and Helen Agnew
context_page_description: Quota International, Inc. is an international service organization that provides basic needs to women, children, the deaf, and hard of hearing in communities around the world. Quota International's world service projects are aligned with the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals. Specifically, Quota clubs are working towards UN MDG Goals 1 and 3: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and to promote gender equality and empower women, respectively. The organization was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1919 by Wanda Frey Joiner, as a service club for women similar to that of popular all-male clubs. Today, membership includes both women and men in communities around the world. Current membership exceeds 5,600, representing more than 270 clubs in 14 countries.
context_section_description: Quota International established its first club outside of the United States in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1925; making Quota the first international women's service organization.  Although Altrusa International was formed as a women's service club in 1917, it was incorporated as a national organization.  Its title was The National Association of Altrusa Clubs, before becoming an international service organization in 1935.  After Quota's foundation in February 1919, other women's service organizations formed in the same manner.  Zonta International was established in Buffalo, NY in November 1919 to advance the status of women and became an alternative to Quota International.  Soroptimist International was formed in October 1921 as a community service organization for business and professional women.  After establishing an international base, Quota International, Inc. continued to grow in Canada and eventually to Australia, New Zealand, India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Fiji, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Eustatius, the Netherlands, and Suriname.
  During the early years of Quota, the organization's focus targeted and promoted: good citizenship, crime prevention, extending friendly relations, gaining recognition for the achievements of women, and international relations.  However, with the outbreak of the Second World War, priorities for the club changed.  Quotarians worked together to raise funds to purchase two ambulances for the Red Cross and worked on a variety of other war and defense projects, including: joining the civil defense, helping at nurseries, canteen work, selling war bonds, performing blood typing, sewing and knitting, and attending first aid courses.  Upon the conclusion of the war, the organization modified its objectives.  At the 1946 convention it was decided that Quota International would now emphasize service for the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, while continuing to support and empower women and children.
caption: Wanda Frey Joiner, left, receives an official Quota Flag from Helen Agnew at the 1963 Los Angeles Convention
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